As semiconductor technology advances for higher processor performance, package sizes may shrink and higher input/output (I/O) counts may be required to reduce manufacturing costs. Packaging technologies, especially in some chipset applications, may drive a finer pitch between interconnect structures, such as between solder balls in a ball grid array package. With the scaling of pitch, smaller ball size is expected which may pose a challenge to interconnect joint (i.e., the interface between an interconnect structure and another surface, such as a substrate or contact pad) performance.
Interconnect joint failures have been observed in many types of packaging assemblies, such as in ball grid array assemblies. These failures may be due to various stresses, such as thermal or physical stresses that may be incurred after a reflow process has been performed on the interconnect structure, for example.